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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · cue · fan · saw · present · rule · shower · game

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — a gift
  4. cue — a signal
  5. press — newspapers
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. rule — a law
  9. present — there
  10. press — to push
  11. press — a publisher
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. game — a match
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cue — for pool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. shower — a meteor shower

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com